Improvement in electric railway-signals



D. ROUSSEAU.

Electric Railway Signals.

Patented July 29 No. lll,387.

CN J @da cay NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE." l

DAVID ROUSSEAU, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND WILLIAM C.SMITH, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN ELECTRIC RAILWAY-SIGNALS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 141,387, dated July 29,1873; application filed n February 17, 1873.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, DAVID ROUSSEAU, a subject of Canada, residing in thecity of New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented anElectric Signal and Signal- Lamp Lock, of which the following is aspecifcation: Y y

rIhis invention relates to a new electric apparatus for operatingrailroadsignals from two or more different points by means of a singleelectromagnet, so that when the circuit is established through saidelectro-magnet by an approaching train, the same will attract itsarmature and cause the signal to be displayed, while, when the circuitis again established by the same train, after it shall have passed thesignal and reached the second instrument, the electro-magnet will oncemore attract its armature, and thereby cause the signal to be moved outof sight.

The invention is equally applicable to audible and visible signals. Asfar as the portion of mechanism above referred to is concerned, myinvention consists, first, in providing the rotary signal stem or shaftwith projecting cams or pins, and in placing near the same two springs,which are, respectively, connected with the two instruments, at oppositesides of the line, in such manner that when one of these springs is incontact with its cam of the stem the other spring will invariably be outof contact, and vice versa. The invention also fconsists in placing onthe metallic frame of the signal, or at least in metallic connectionwith the signal and stem, an electro-magnet whose one wireis connectedwith the battery from which the power is derived.

The armature of this electro-magnet serves as a lock for projecting armsof the signalstem, clock-work being employed to turn said stem wheneverthe lock :is withdrawn from the said arms.

By this arrangement, of which the opera tion will be hereinafter morefully described, I am enabled to use but one electro-magnet and onebattery to operate the signal by approaching and receding trains fromopposite sides, to economize the power of the battery,

and to insure invariably the most perfect operation.

Anotherfeature of myinvention has reference to the .placing and securingof the lamp in front of the signal; and consists in so locking the frameor guard by which the lamp is confined to the signal-support that saidframe cannot be opened or detached to allow the insertion or removal ofthe lamp without iirst causing the winding up of the clock-work by whichthe signal is operated.

By such an arrangement I am enabled to insure the proper operation ofthe clockwork, as the lamp will have to be removed at least once eachday, and the clock-work therefore wound up once during the same period.v

In order to effect this object I can use various means, the one which Iprefer consisting in applying a gear-wheel to the clockwork, which, whenturned by the windingup movement, will4 carry a pin against a lever thatlocks the lamp-holder, and so swing said lever as to permit the openingof the holder.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 represents a side elevation,partly in section, of my improved signal and lock. Fig. 2 is a top view,partly in section, `of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts. l

The letter A in the drawing represents a stationary frame, on which thesignal B is supported. This frame I prefer to place on a post or pillarat such height that the signal will be properly displayed at therequisite distances. The signal B is mounted upon avertical shaft orstem, O, which has its bearings in the frame A, and which, by means of-beveled gearwheels a, or otherwise, is in connection with a drum, D,upon which a weighted cord or rope, E, is wound, so that such drum or anequivalent spring will have the tendency, when wound up, to rotate thesignal on and with its vertical shaft. This rotation `is prevented byone of four, more or less, radiallyprojecting arms, b, of the shaft Cstriking a lug, d, that projects from the outer face of anarmaturelever, F.

The armature is, by means of the spring @,held away from itselectro-magnet G, and in such position as to bring its lug d in the wayof one of the arms b of the shaft (l. Upon the shaft C are furthermounted two projecting cams or ears,f and y. Anon conductin platform,II, which is placed near the shaft C, serves to support two springs, hand fi, which reach so near to the shaft C and are so placed that whenthe signal is in its hidden or non-displayed position, which is shown inFig. l, the spring h will be in contact with the cam g, while thespringt' will be away from the cam j", as shown in Fig. 2. When,however, the signal is turned to be displayed,the cam f will be incontact with the spring t', and the cam g away from the spring h. Thespring la is, by a \virc,j, connected with an instrument which is placedat a suitable distance from` the signal, near the railroad track, in inthat direction from which the train which is to operate the signalapproaches the same. The spring t' is, by a wire, l, connected with asimilar instrument at the opposite side of the si gnal-thatis to say, onthat side toward which the train recedes from the signal. Theelectromagnet G is, by a wire, m, connected with the battery from whichthe power for moving the armature F is to be derived. The same batteryis also connected with the two operating instruments placed near thetrack.

Whenever a train approaches the signal it will, upon reaching thatinstrument toward which the wire j is conducted by suitable mechanism ormeans provided on that instrument or train, or both, close the circuitthrough the wirej, instrument, battery-wirem, electro-ma gnet Gr,metallic frame A, stem C, cam g, and

spring h, so that by such closing of the circuitv the electromagnet willbe charged, the armature F attracted, and the clock-work or drum Dthereby liberated to partly rotate the signal. .As soon as, during suchrotation, the cam g has left the spring h, the circuit is broken, andthe armature immediately withdrawn from the electro-magnet by thespringe, so that the next arm b of the stein' C will be retained by thelug d of the armature. In this position, then, the signal will bedisplayed to the approaching train, or to parties who are to be advisedof the approach of such train. In this position, furthermore, the cam fwill be in contact with the spring i. After the train has passed thesignal and reached the second instrument it will, by the mechanism thereprovided, close the circuit through such instrument, battery-wire m,electro-magnet G, frame A, shaft C, cam f, spring i, and wire l, andcause thereby the further attraction of the armature, the furtherrotation of the signal, and the final placing of the signal out of view.

The position reached after the motion last described will he the same asthat shown in Fig. 2, with the exception only that the cam j' will thenbein contact with the spring i, and the camg in thc position occupied bythe cam fin Fig. 2.

It is evident that the features of the invention above described areapplicable to various kinds of signals; and Ido notconiine mysc lf intheir use to the rotary signal herein described.

I is a frame or guard, by which a lamp that is used at night to show thesignal is held to the frame A. This guard I is removable to permit theinsertion and removal of the lamp, or, if not removable, is atleast soattached to the frame A that it can be swung open and closed. Whenclosed a hook-shaped projection, n,enters through an opening in theframe A from said guarthand is locked by alever, J, which is clearlyshown in Fig. 1. The lever J is so balanced on its pivot that it will,by its own weight, lock into the hook a, as shown. The inner end of thelever J is near the face of a toothed wheel, O, which is in gear withanother toothed wheel, p, that is mounted upon the` windingshaft L ofthedrum D or clock-Work. Every revolution of the shaft L causes the singletooth of the wheel p to partially turn the wheel O, and while theclockwork is operating the signa-l such rotation will cause a projectingpin, r, of the wheel O to be carried further and further away from theinner end of the lever J.

Vhenever it is desired to open the guard I it is necessary so to turnthe wheel 0 as to bring its pin r under the inner end of the lever J,thereby to raise the inner end of said lever and carry its outer end outof the hook n. To effect this it is necessary to apply the windingkey Mto the shaft L through a keyhole provided for that purpose. When theshaft L has been, by means of said key, turned so far as to completelywind up the rope E, the pin r will arrive under the inner end of thelever J, and so swing it as to open the guard. i

In this manner, therefore, the desired object of making the removal andinsertion of a lamp impossible without irst winding up' thesignal-operating clock-work is completely effected.

Other means for reaching the said object may, however, be used. Thus, Imay construct the hinge of the swinging guard I so that by opening theguard the clockwork will be wound up, as I may cause the key M to be soconstructed that in a certain position it will open the guard withoutrequiring the use of the wheel O and the pin r. In fact, I do notconfine myself to any special mechanism for carrying 4that feature of myinvention which relates to the combination of the lock-guard I with theclockwork D or key M into effect.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The signalstem O, provided with arms or projections b, which lock itagainst the armature F both in its displayed and concealed positions, asspecified.

2. The cams or projections f and g on the stem C, arranged incombination with the springs t' and h, for operation .in the manner setforth.

3. The signal connected metallioally with one electro-magnet andalternately with one of two operating instruments, as specified.

4. A lamp-guard, I, looked to a signal apparatus so that the said guardcannot be opened without the previous winding of the signal-operatingclock-Work, substantially as herein described.

5. The combination of the rotary pin o with the lever J, hook n, andguard I, as set forth.

D. ROUSSEAU.

Witnesses FRED. HAYNES, MICHAEL RYAN.

